Russia Says Venezuela’s Opposition Is in Contact with Moscow

Venezuela’s opposition, including representatives of its leader Juan Guaido, has been in contact with Moscow, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on its website on Tuesday. “We’ve been actively talking to representatives of Venezuela’s political landscape — government, opposition figures, including J. Guaido’s people, who are reaching out to us,” the ministry said, citing interviews given by…

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Two Expeditions Start as Part of Rosneft’s Programme for Polar Bear Research on the Arctic Shelf

Two expeditions have started on the Arctic license areas of Rosneft Oil Company as part of the Company’s polar bear research programme. The use of Russian ultra-light amphibian aircraft will provide for surveying the previously unexplored remote areas. The total length of the air survey routes will exceed 4,000 km. Specialists from the Severtsov Institute…

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Russia Moves to Ban Keeping Businessmen in Detention for No Reason

Russian lawmakers have approved legislation banning law enforcement authorities from extending pre-trial detentions for businesspeople without reason amid criticism over the criminalization of business disputes.  Officials are seeking to lure investment to boost Russia’s struggling economy and President Vladimir Putin has called for an end to unfounded probes into so-called economic crimes. However, government polling…

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Rosatom Head Alexey Likhachev and Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Fatih Dönmez meet at Akkuyu NPP Construction Site

uly 23, 2019, Büyükeceli, Province of Mersin, Turkey – Director General of Rosatom Atomic Energy Corporation Alexey Likhachev and the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Fatih Dönmez held a working meeting at the construction site of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in the Turkish province of Mersin. The parties acknowledged the progress of the…

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The head of Rosatom A. Likhachov has sent his condolences to the members of the IAEA secretariat in connection with the death of Yu. Amano.

Director Gerenal of Rosatom State Corporation A.E. Likhachev has sent his condolences to the members of the Secretariat of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in connection with the death of the Agency’s Director General Yu. Amano. It reads as follows: “On behalf of Rosatom State Corporation and personally, I offer deep condolences in connection…

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Russia Establishes New Arctic Air Squadron to Protect Its Northern Sea Route

Russia is boosting its military presence in the Arctic region in a bid to better protect its Northern Sea Route. Additional military infrastructure has been made operational along the country’s vast Arctic coast with the installation of radars, radio-electronic equipment, missile systems and other advanced weaponry. Russia’s Northern Fleet is taking a leading role in…

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Putin Grants Russian Citizenship to Novatek’s Finance Chief, a U.S. National

President Vladimir Putin handed Russian citizenship to gas producer Novatek’s veteran finance chief Mark Gyetvay on Monday, a move that could potentially help the U.S. national bypass some sanctions restrictions. U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia in 2014 ban U.S. nationals and companies from helping organize long-term funding for some major Russian firms, including Novatek. The sanctions were imposed following…

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Ukraine’s Zelenskiy Headed for Commanding Win in Parliamentary Election

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s party took a commanding lead in Sunday’s snap parliamentary election, consolidating the power of the novice politician whose stunning rise has upended traditional politics in the war-scarred nation. A former comedian who played a fictional schoolteacher-turned-president in a popular TV series, the 41-year-old Zelenskiy has tapped into widespread voter anger over…

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The 23rd Session of Chinese-Russian Nuclear Subcommittee took place

The 23rd Session of Chinese-Russian Nuclear Subcommittee took place in Nizhny Novgorod on 19 July within the framework of the Committee on preparation of regular China-Russia summits. Zhang Kejian, Chairman of the China Atomic Energy Authority, and Aleksey Likhachev, ROSATOM Director General, are the Committee Cochairmen. The Session participants summarized the year outcomes of the…

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Former Austrian Chancellor Lands Russian Job

Russia’s state railway company appointed the former chancellor of Austria to its management board this week, continuing a trend of retired European politicians landing lucrative posts in Russia. Christian Kern, 53, headed Austria’s national railway system before serving as chancellor of the central European nation from 2016-2017. Austria has been among a minority of EU…

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Happy Birthday, Muzeon!

On Saturday Muzeon is celebrating its 27th birthday. The park on the banks of the Moscow River has a short but fascinating history. It began as nothing more than a construction site where all the detritus from building the New Tretyakov Gallery and the (then) House of Artists’ structure was deposited. In the 1980s artists…

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Russia to Phase Out Paper Passports by 2022

Russia is planning to phase out paper passports within three years as part of its national digitization program, drawing support as well as criticism over privacy concerns, according to the official government website. The government resumed discussions on issuing digital passports last fall, five years after it initially considered the idea. Cost estimates for the…

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Russian Artist Takes to Apartment Wall to Highlight Country’s Social Issues

Arseniy, an artist from the Russian city of Samara, has recently made waves on social media with a series of photographs made against the backdrop of an abandoned five-story building. The project is called “1m²” and addresses social issues and experiences encountered by normal Russians. The performances include showing a simple factory worker’s dinner, dreams…

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Museum Courtyard 2019 art project with support from Gazprom Dobycha Astrakhan launched in Astrakhan

News from projects and regions July 19, 2019, 13:15 Photos On July 18, the Astrakhan State Art Gallery named after Pavel Dogadin launched the anniversary season of the art project named ‘Museum Courtyard 2019’ in Astrakhan. Since its creation, the project, which unites admirers of music, painting, literature and art of declamation, has attracted about eight thousand Astrakhan citizens of all…

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Russia Could Ground International Flights Under New Proposal

New rules could grant Russian authorities the power to ground international flights if Russian airlines fail to provide personal information about passengers or if they pose a “security threat.” Unnamed sources within Russia’s aviation industry told the Kommersant business daily that the Federal Security Service (FSB) has been seeking to tighten regulations governing international flights…

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Hard Man Putin May Be Showing Softer Side to Russia’s Neighbors

The stage was prepared last week for Russian President Vladimir Putin to hammer tiny Georgia with new economic sanctions after parliament called on him to punish anti-Kremlin protests. Instead, Putin refused “because I respect the Georgians.” The uncharacteristic reaction left some wondering if the Kremlin is beginning to rethink its traditionally tough approach to neighboring states by…

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